The present invention relates to a cable connector for use in connecting a cable and to a method of connecting the cable to the cable connector.
Conventionally, various cable connectors have been proposed of which an example described in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H02-8389 will be outlined in the following, with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
A cable connector of FIG. 1A comprises a contact housing 21 of synthetic resin, a cable housing 22 of synthetic resin, and a cover member 23 of synthetic resin. A flat cable 25 has core wires 26 and is previously passed through a slit 24 of the cover member 23. The cable housing 22 holds exposed tips of the core wires 26 and is inserted into a rear inner space 37 of the contact housing 21. Then, by engaging the recesses 29 of respective engaging strips 28 at both sides of the cover member 23 with respective protrusions 30 at both sides of the contact housing 21, the cable housing 22 and the contact housing 21 are fitted together as shown in FIG. 1B.
The core wires 26 are extended along the cable housing 22. A plurality of contact members 31 are arranged on the contact housing 21. Each of the contact members 31 is made of metal to have a U-shaped portion 31a. The distance between an upper portion and a lower portion of each of the core wires 26 is made slightly larger than the distance between two tips of the U-shaped lead 31A of each of the contact members 31. As a result, when the cable housing 22 and the contact housing 21 are fitted together, the core wires 26 are pressed against the U-shaped leads 31A of the contact members 31, respectively.
After the fitting is completed, a wire-cutting edge (not shown) is inserted through each of holes 38 of the contact housing 21 to cut off the tips of the core wires 26.
In the conventional cable connector, the core wires 26 are pressed against the cable housing 22 the contact members 31, respectively. However, this conventional structure and method cannot cope with the cable connectors of today where the intervals between contacts are becoming rapidly smaller. These small pitch contacts require small diameter core wires which are sometimes as small as 0.1 mm. It is difficult to press such a thin wires with contacts against the contact housing made of synthetic resin, and the connection between the core wires and the contacts tends to lack in reliability and stability.